It is a made up reason. The shield is tied to the signal ground still so any voltage potential the shield picks up will surely end up on the signal ground affecting the signal. I suppose if the shield was connected to equipment ground only it could in theory help if the equipment ground was properly earthed and not tied to signal ground. And it doesn't break ground loops either.
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RCA Cables
- Thread starter Xacav:
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Speedskater
Major Contributor
But it gives no valid reason for such a complex cable construction for a RCA unbalanced, single-ended, analog cable.
The best RCA interconnects use a coax cable with a heavy braided construction. Those cables that separate the shield from the signal return, use a small wire for the signal return. This can result in up to 26dB more Common Impedance Coupling noise.
You will notice I struck through the word valid in my response. At least they provided a reason for the claimed directionality.
Speedskater
Major Contributor
Exactly! No VALID reason.
Helicopter
Major Contributor
Here's the (flawed) thought process.
Balanced cables are technically superior to unbalanced cables; they are going to perform better, especially when there are challenges.
Balanced cables have the shield connected to a ground on one end.
If World's Best RCA cables connect the shield to a ground to one end they will be more similar to a balanced cable in construction.
If an RCA cable is more similar to a balanced cable in construction then perhaps it will be technically superior to other RCA cables in performance.
(I don't agree with the conclusion, but that is the implied argument.)
My recommendation for technical performance in a short RCA cable is to buy the 3.5 Euro one with molded connectors I linked earlier, or get one for about $1.2 from PE in the US. Spend more on Monoprice if you want something that feels better in your hand, and will last a many connections and a more difficult life. Spend even more on something handmade in a high cost location with the best connectors and cable, and maybe braided sheathing and heat shrink, but for God's sake don't be an idiot, and keep it under $80 or so. I'm not even against silver plating, as long as it is for corrosion resistance.
Balanced cables are technically superior to unbalanced cables; they are going to perform better, especially when there are challenges.
Balanced cables have the shield connected to a ground on one end.
If World's Best RCA cables connect the shield to a ground to one end they will be more similar to a balanced cable in construction.
If an RCA cable is more similar to a balanced cable in construction then perhaps it will be technically superior to other RCA cables in performance.
(I don't agree with the conclusion, but that is the implied argument.)
My recommendation for technical performance in a short RCA cable is to buy the 3.5 Euro one with molded connectors I linked earlier, or get one for about $1.2 from PE in the US. Spend more on Monoprice if you want something that feels better in your hand, and will last a many connections and a more difficult life. Spend even more on something handmade in a high cost location with the best connectors and cable, and maybe braided sheathing and heat shrink, but for God's sake don't be an idiot, and keep it under $80 or so. I'm not even against silver plating, as long as it is for corrosion resistance.
Jose Hidalgo
Major Contributor
Lots of stuff indeed ! I've checked the interconnects. Unfortunately min length seems to be 2 ft. I'm looking for about 20cm.
While we're at it, is there any VALID (measurable, hopefully audible) difference between these three types ?
Coaxial / 2 Conductor / StarQuad
@Helicopter : I absolutely agree ! Like I said, even the 30 € Topping cable that I linked looks a bit expensive to me for a 25 cm cable. With that said, I'm willing to pay 20 or 30 € for a cable that will indeed feel good in my hand, have reliable connectors that ensure a good physical contact, and last a long time. But I know that I'll be paying that amount for cable reliability, not for mystical performance.
For that price, the Topping cable looks good to me. I'm just trying to see if there's something I would gladly get the Amazon cables suggested by Veri, but since they cost about the same as the Topping, I may as well buy the latter, since AT LEAST they don't advertise any bullshit.
Speedskater
Major Contributor
Actually an XLR balanced interconnect system does not have a 'ground' terminal. It has a 'shield' terminal which is attached to the chassis at it's connector. True the 'chassis' is connected grounds, but that's a different ballgame.
Helicopter
Major Contributor
Definitely right for XLR, and I don't know all balanced cable terminations. I should have just written XLR because that is probably what Worlds Best Cables was trying to copy in construction. I like XLRs better than TRRS etc. Anyway because I have had better luck with connections.
Helicopter
Major Contributor
Agree. Sounds like a good plan. I don't know of anything like monoprice in that super short stacking interconnect length. The short monoprice one is 1.5ft. You may have to pay 20-30 to get a short pair. I am sure Topping and Schiit are nice, and I know WBC are good from experience.Lots of stuff indeed ! I've checked the interconnects. Unfortunately min length seems to be 2 ft. I'm looking for about 20cm.
While we're at it, is there any VALID (measurable, hopefully audible) difference between these three types ?
Coaxial / 2 Conductor / StarQuad
@Helicopter : I absolutely agree ! Like I said, even the 30 € Topping cable that I linked looks a bit expensive to me for a 25 cm cable. With that said, I'm willing to pay 20 or 30 € for a cable that will indeed feel good in my hand, have reliable connectors that ensure a good physical contact, and last a long time. But I know that I'll be paying that amount for cable reliability, not for mystical performance.bettercheaper, especially since I'll be needing two of them (I have 4 devices to interconnect : 2 and 2).
I would gladly get the Amazon cables suggested by Veri, but since they cost about the same as the Topping, I may as well buy the latter, since AT LEAST they don't advertise any bullshit.
When friends and family ask me for a recommendation, I usually just give them a Parts Express cable and tell them not to worry about it. I buy them in bulk to get the discounts for things like fixing old BSR turntables and setting up systems without having to plan ahead. And then I have some monoprice and some of the handmade ones in my systems, but they are much more craft than electronic.
Helicopter
Major Contributor
I have had some thin RCA cables with molded connectors perform well and hold up well. I am thinking of some older Japanese OEM cables for Nintendos and Technics Sl 1200 turntables in particular. They are lighter and less solid, but I would not conclude lightweight cables with molded connectors are universally less durable. The gold plated PE cables are definitely less durable than something like Monoprice, or an handmade cable with an Amphenol connector.
Nice feature of XLR cables is they can be daisy chained together!
Blumlein 88
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Nice thing about TRS is it doesn't matter which end you have. Usually the daisy chain feature is worth the hassle however.
Daisy chaining comes in handy when the cables you already own are too short. No adapter needed.
Jose Hidalgo
Major Contributor
OMG, I've just learned that even Topping seems to be advertising that directional crap on their cables! Look at this picture:
Why Topping, whyyyyy?... *cries in desperation*
Why Topping, whyyyyy?... *cries in desperation*
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I think you're overreacting. As discussed, the floating shield is used on star quad all the time, and star quad is handy for super short (as pictured) runs where the flexibility means it won't push small components around like some cables will when small radius bends are used. Yes, we know, you don't need star quad for this - but it works fine and has a practical use case here without any downsides that I'm aware of. It costs more than the simple RCAs included in the box with most gear but no where near the audiophile magic cables out there.
Now the usefulness of the floating shield has been debated here. I don't have anything to add to that, but it doesn't seem to cause problems, either.
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Jose Hidalgo
Major Contributor
Please note that I'm not overreacting. I'm just KIDDING which is different.
I may not be a fan of snake oil, but I'll still buy a decent interconnect even if it has little arrows written all over it, as long as it doesn't hurt the signal. I just wish nobody did that, is all.
To get back on topic, Ghent Audio on eBay seems to have some decent stuff at interesting prices :
I may not be a fan of snake oil, but I'll still buy a decent interconnect even if it has little arrows written all over it, as long as it doesn't hurt the signal. I just wish nobody did that, is all.
To get back on topic, Ghent Audio on eBay seems to have some decent stuff at interesting prices :
- A02 - 30cm for 13 € incl. shipping and A02 - 30cm for 15 € incl. shipping (actually these two look identical so I don't get the price difference)
- A01 - 30cm for 20 € incl. shipping
- A01P - 30cm for 27 € incl. shipping (locking connectors)
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Ghent Audio website: https://www.ghentaudio.com/part/a09.html
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